It is feeling a lot like the holidays around here!
Last night, Eric and I put up our tree, outdoor lights, and decorations and we also received our first snowfall overnight. :)
You may have assumed that I had the holiday decor up weeks ago, but the truth is, we didn’t have a chance until last night!
I’m glad the decorations are up now though…except for a couple that really creep us out…
They are a Liddon family heirloom, that is all I’m going to say about that. ;) Sketchie’s tail poufs up when he sees them by the staircase. It isn’t pretty.
Thank you for your support for my Challenge #9 Project Food Blog post yesterday! It is crazy to think that this challenge has been going on since September and we are down to the final round this coming Sunday!!
I feel like I have aged 30 years and sprouted about 100 new grey hairs. bahaha. Good times, good times. ;)
They are cutting 12 contestants down to just 3 this Friday, so your votes will make all the difference in helping me advance to the final 10th round. All you do is click the heart to vote and if you don’t have an account, simply enter your email and username to register. It is quick to sign up! It will also help out if you re-tweet your vote on Twitter and ‘like’ the post on Facebook.
Click here to be taken to the page and thank you in advance for sticking with my crazy self throughout this contest!
Staying Healthy During the holidays
It is that time of the year when my healthy eating can take a nosedive and I find myself losing motivation as the days get shorter and shorter.
The urge to hibernate is strong my friends.
Sketchie knows what I’m talking about. He has been sleeping beside the heat vent for days on end, only to move when he hears a clinking sound in his food dish.
Luckily, with each new day we can commit to making healthy choices, even if the odds do seem to be stacked against us!
On December 1st, I made a commitment to myself:
Every day for the month of December, my goal is to get a hefty serving of vegetables into my diet in some form. This could be in the form of Green Monsters, salads, soups, or other foods loaded with veggies.
So far, it has been going well and I am feeling more energized than I was in November!
Yesterday, I talked very briefly about the salad and dressing that I adapted from The Coup Cookbook and I wanted to go into more depth about it today because I am head over heels in love with this salad.
It is my new favourite salad and I will be eating it frequently over the holidays to keep me energized and satisfied.
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Club Med Salad with Tahini Lemon Garlic dressing
This salad is incredibly delicious, filling, and a great way to pack in a ton of vegetable servings in one meal.
Adapted from The Coup Cookbook.
Makes 1 large salad.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 cups of Your favourite greens (I used organic mixed greens)
- 3-4 pickles (I used sweet pickle slices), chopped into small pieces
- 6 black olives, pitted and chopped, optional
- 1/2 Red banana pepper cut into rings OR 1/2 regular red pepper, chopped
- 1/4 orange pepper, chopped
- 5-8 sundried tomatoes
- Handful of sprouts
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 1/4-1/2 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/4 cup beets, shredded
- 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2-3 tbspTahini Lemon Garlic Dressing (follows below)
- 1/2 cup chickpeas or my Crispy chickpea bites (https://ohsheglows.com/2010/10/28/crispy-chickpea-bites-in-the-oven/)
Directions: Place all ingredients into a bowl except the dressing and sesame seeds. Drizzle on dressing and lightly toss. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and serve. See below for dressing recipe.
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Tahini Lemon Garlic Salad Dressing
This salad dressing is creamy and thick with a sharp, peppery quality. It is my new favourite! Use it on salad or even as a delicious dip for vegetables.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions: In a food processor, process all ingredients until smooth. Makes about 1.5 cups.
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This salad really knocks my socks off and Eric even said it was delicious! This is good news coming from a former vegetable hater. :)
The dressing also just takes 5 minutes to throw together.
For the past few days I have been having a nightly snack of chopped veggies and dressing. It is a wonderful snack that leaves me feeling satisfied thanks to the healthy fats.
Creamy and thick.
Have you made any goals to stay healthy over the holidays? What are your tips and tricks for staying on track?
As part of my next post I will be showing you the workout music that has been keeping me motivated during my workouts!
I am SO EXCITED about this dressing recipe!! One of my favorite restaurants out here in LA makes a Lemon-Tahini dressing, but I have yet to make a good “re-creation” of it at home– I bet yours is really close!
I can’t wait to try it! :D
I just made the lemon tahini dressing….
MY LIFE IS FOREVER CHANGED!!!! And so is my husband’s. :)
Quick question: it came out a bit thick…I’m thinking of adding a dash of almond milk to thin it? Definitely doesn’t need more lemon or oil. Almond milk good idea or no? Add just water? :)
Thanks!
I can’t even imagine how exhausted you must be from all of the Project Food Blogging; we should be the ones thanking you for putting your everything into delivering us fantastic posts to look forward to each week. Cheers!
I always feel so much beter when I have eaten tons of veggies too! I have been trying to get a tons of veggies in during ths holidays too – soups definitely count.. since I eat soup at least once a day. :)
Oh geez, those dolls!! My neighbors had those when I was younger and they scared the bageezes outta me!
I’ve been tweeting about your project food blog entries. It would make me so happy to have you win!!!
Thanks for the great salad recipe. I’ve lost some of my salad mojo lately and this is perfect for me to get inspired again. I love my green juices and smoothies too of course.
One healthy thing I love to do is make sure to get enough fermented veggies or kombucha. The probiotics really help combat any overindulgence or too much sugar.
The dressing sounds amazing – do you know how much cheese you would substitute to get the same flavour as nutritional yeast?
hi Angela! my vote is in and I’m sending positive foodbuzz vibes your way! my motivation lately has been coming from (shockingly) my bf. whenever we’re in lazy takeout mode, he has been the one to say screw it, get in the kitchen and start whipping up something spontaneous and veggieful. I am amazed by his support and participation in our healthy lifestyle! I guess my tip is to be patient with someone close to you who isn’t initially supportive of healthy goals. when Jer and I moved in together I had the classic gain-10-pounds-by-eating-what-your-bf-eats experience. I got myself back on track and encouraged him to cut down on fast food and pop esp. he dropped 13 pounds in one month. over the last 5 years he has realized how simple cooking can be by being forced to watch Food network 24-7. he’s also been open to the vegan literature and videos I’ve come across and while not 100% vegan himself, he is a vegetarian at home and the rare time we eat out he chooses the veg option most often. I’m an opionated gal, but I’ve never tried to force him into new habits. It takes a lot of patience but it’s worth it now to see him so healthy and loving it :)
Anything with tahini + lemon and a dressing/dip is a winner! So satisfying and delish! And I love the rainbow-bright colors of the salad. Seriously so wholesome and awesome looking!
Staying healthy during the holiday season…remember that you WILL have access to food again. You don’t have to eat everything you see, at this party, at that happy hour, at your grandma’s celebration, at your mother’s house, etc etc…you will always have access to more food (99.9% of blog readers I am referring to, will always have access to MORE) so no need to eat it all. Or all at once. Save room for the next party :) Moderation. A bite or three, and move on type of thing :)
Oh yes, veggies are a good thing. My goals are definitely involving loads of veggies, green smoothies and I’ve also been eating my last meal before 3pm on ‘normal’ days so that the exception days aren’t such an impact.
Those dolls!! My mum gave me a doll that looked almost exactly like the one on the left when I was a little girl and my younger brother was BEYOND scared of it. He burst into tears every. single. time. he. saw. it…. ahhh, thanks for the memories!
Never a dull bite in that salad! Yummy!
I eat the same way during the holidays as I do all year. I eat whatever I want, in moderation. I don’t deprive myself of any foods, even if that means I eat a little bit of chocolate every single day, or bacon for 4 days straight. I eat all foods in small portions.
For the holidays, I pretty much do what I always do. Eat in moderation, enjoy every bite, and make sure to keep myself moving!
I voted for you!! :-)
I am feeling the holiday spirit already too!
This year, my goal is to try and indulge in treats as much as I want to, I’ve restricted for the past few years, so I would like to spend this holidays with peaceful mind, and maybe a few pounds more :)
Love the look of your salad!
That is such a pretty salad! It makes me think of my mom saying you are supposed to “eat the rainbow” everyday.
I am making an effort to get workouts on my calendar, and bring my workout clothes to work so I don’t have a chance to go home and get too comfortable.
Thanks for another amazing salad, it can be so hard to eat healthy during the holiday season, but with your recipes we will all achieve it. I made your curry in a hurry the other day and used the leftovers to stuff peppers, omg amazing! Good luck with PFB, you will ace it for sure.
I think the little caroler couple might just be worth having to see Sketchie’s reaction! haha
One time my little boy kitten puffed up when I wore a big fuzzy turtleneck!
Good luck on the next round of the contest! I told everyone I know to vote!
salads, i heart salads in december
Those dolls are creepy! I love that most families have holiday decorations that no one actually likes. But, still, we put them up every year. :) Tis the season, I suppose!